A Scottish man who has been locked up in an Iraq jail for two months over unpaid debts is waiting on Qatar bank confirming they have agreed to drop their case against him before he can be released.
Brian Glendinning, a construction engineer, from Fife, has been locked up for two months in a Baghdad jail after Iraqi authorities responded to an Interpol Red Notice, issued by Qatar.
Brian was arrested when he travelled to Basra to start a new job on September 4. The 43-year-old was cuffed at border control over a £20,000 debt to a Qatar bank. Now an Iraqi judge has told lawyers he will release Brian as soon as a diplomatic note is received from Qatar.
Detained in Dubai, who have campaigned for the father's release, say they have "persuaded" Qatar National Bank to withdraw the police case after a third party donor discharged the liability. Founder, Radha Stirling, an Interpol and extradition crisis consultant, said: "The bank assured us they would delete the Interpol Red Notice and instruct the Qatari authorities to withdraw the extradition request.
"This is a unique situation though; Brian is not sitting in the comfort of his own home, he is suffering in the most appalling conditions and it’s imperative that Qatar and the United Kingdom push for an urgent resolution. We must remember, this should never have happened in the first place.
"Britain’s Ambassador has assured me they will provide consular assistance in this respect and Douglas Chapman, MP has pushed Qatar’s Ambassador again today.
“The bank no longer wants Brian in a Qatari jail. They have their money. They’ve successfully misused Interpol as their own personal debt collectors and now all that’s needed is a note to Iraq confirming the same.
“With the World Cup looming, we hope Qatar will do the right thing here and end this family’s nightmare."
Last month, Brian's family staged a protest outside of Holyrood demanding action from the Government to bring him home. The dad was told he could be facing a two-year prison sentence in Qatar. His family have said he has been subject to terrible conditions behind bars in Iraq.
Brian's brother John said: "We are hoping the end is near but we are well aware this could go on for weeks, months or years. We know there are other people in this situation who have been jailed for over a year and we are beyond worried.
"It wouldn’t take much for Qatar’s Ministry of Interior to pick up the phone and confirm with QNB that Brian isn’t wanted anymore but will they do that? I don’t know. Kimberly (Brian's wife) is hanging in there but it’s getting harder and harder and we don’t know if we can trust the bank’s word. We hope we can.”
Brian is believed to have taken out a loan when he was living in the middle east in 2016 because of the low-interest rates. His family say he was making payments towards the loan until he was forced to give up his job in Qatar due to ill health the following year.
After his arrest, John says the family found out a warrant was issued for Brian's arrest in 2017 over the unpaid debt - but he claims Brian was never made aware of it.
Brian is not the first Briton detained abroad on the request of Qatar National Bank. “The bank waits for people to get arrested then demands funds to release them even though this is a complete violation of Interpol regulations and extradition treaties," explained Radha Stirling.
"Most of the time, the victim will be released since debt is not a crime but the process can be lengthy and costly."
“It’s disappointing that the bank exploited the system and on this occasion, it’s worked for them which will only encourage further abuse. We need more robust provisions in place to protect British citizens in the future."
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